The Relocation Consideration
by bigbangenthusiast
Summary: Sheldon and Amy overhear Leonard and Penny making fun of them and take action to avoid them.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I received a prompt from Sazzieazzie requesting a story where Shamy moves away from Lenny after they hear them talking and laughing at them. This ended up becoming a short multichapter story. I hope you enjoy part 1!**

Amy waited patiently outside the Hofstadters' door with a bowl of her famous spinach dip, as her husband locked their apartment. The two couples were getting together for game night, a welcome respite from a grueling work week. Sheldon joined her, hand poised to knock, when laughter resonated from within their friends' walls. Amy grabbed his wrist before his knuckles made contact.

"...she wears them to feel closer to her. I want to feel closer to my grandma too, but I don't go around wearing her granny sweaters. Coupled with those orthopedic shoes, she could pass for a grandma herself. All she's missing is the gray hair."

"And what's the deal with Sheldon's layered t-shirts?" Leonard chimed in.

"I know, right? It's not 2001 anymore. Even worse are those ugly brown shoes! I wouldn't even give those to charity."

"They don't seem to bother Amy, or she'd have tossed them by now."

"Why would they? She wouldn't know fashion if it hit her on the head," Penny snickered.

Amy stormed back across the hall with Sheldon on her heels. "Open the door, please."

Sheldon dug out the key in his pocket and obliged. "Amy, what's wrong?" He asked when they were safe within the confines of their apartment.

Amy set the bowl on the coffee table and plopped on the couch. "You heard them," she sniffled.

"This is why I don't like to arrive early. Had we come at precisely 7 o'clock rather than 6:56, we could have spared ourselves from hearing their jibes."

"That's not the point. They claim to be our best friends, then they make fun of us."

"This isn't the first time they've done it."

"Exactly. They're always making fun of us. Today it's our clothing choices. Last week they laughed right in our faces about Fun with Flags. Even at our wedding, I heard them whispering about how weird the ceremony was."

Sheldon took the seat next to her. "And before we got married, they always ridiculed us regarding our sex life."

"Yes," she agreed, blinking back tears. "I'm done with them."

"Amy, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that as of this moment, Penny Hofstadter is no longer my best friend or any type of friend at all." No sooner had the words left her mouth than her phone chimed. She checked the display then set it screen-side down on the table. "Speak of the devil," she muttered.

"Aren't you going to respond?"

"Haven't you listened to a word I said? I want nothing more to do with the Hofstadters." Tears blurring her eyes, she reached blindly for the tissue box on the end table.

"Allow me."

Sheldon leaned over her, his chest brushing against hers. Under normal circumstances, she would have taken advantage of the situation, but she was too distraught. Instead she swiped at her tears and blew her nose with the proferred Kleenex then buried her head against her husband's chest.

"Why did they say such cruel things?" She sobbed.

Sheldon ran his hands up and down her back soothingly. "They're probably just jealous."

"I don't think that's the case, but thanks for trying to cheer me up," she sniffled.

Over the course of the next 20 minutes, Amy's phone chimed four times, and each time she ignored the incoming texts from her former bestie. When Sheldon received a text from Leonard, Amy pleaded with him to ingore it. His concern for her was greater than his need for closure, so he grudgingly agreed. Then at 7:30 a knock sounded at the door.

"Did you guys forget about tonight?" Penny called from the other side.

Amy put her finger to her lips. "Shh. Don't answer."

Penny pounded on the door a few more times. "Ames? You okay in there? Sheldon? Hello? I guess they're not home."

Amy sighed in relief at the sound of Penny's retreating footsteps and the door shutting across the hall.

"Did we forgot? What kind of question is that? For 11 years I've been telling that woman I have an eidetic memory."

"Thank you for not saying that aloud when she was here. I can't deal with their fake friendship tonight. I think I'll go to bed."

Sheldon furrowed his brow. "At 7:30? Are you ill?"

"No. I just want to turn off my mind for a few hours to forget their words." She leaned over and pressed her lips to his. "Come to bed whenever you feel ready."

"I'll make you some chamomile tea while you perform your nightly ablutions."

She gave him a tiny smile and a peck on the cheek. "Thanks, Babe. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Following her bedtime routine, Amy crawled into bed and pulled the comforter to her chin. Sheldon came in moments later with a tray. As he set it over her lap, he assessed her puffy eyes and red nose.

"You don't look well. Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"I'm fine physically. Emotionally not so much."

"Emotional stress is not good for your condition."

"I'll be okay. _We'll_ be okay," she promised, as she stroked the small bump on her belly.

"What else can I do to provide some comfort?" He asked, as he added just the right amount of honey to the mug and stirred.

Amy took a sip and closed her eyes, trying to find joy in this simple pleasure. "Just knowing I can count on you is enough."

Sheldon looked unconvinced and sat next to her as she finished her tea. He swiftly took the tray to the kitchen and returned moments later to find tears streaming down her face again. "Amy, I'm worried about you."

"I'm sorry. I just can't stop thinking about everything they've said about us. What kind of friends do that?"

"Inconsiderate ones. Are you sure there's nothing else I can do?"

"Hold me until I fall asleep?"

"Of course."

Amy flipped onto her side, her back facing him, and curled into a fetal position. Sheldon draped his arm over her side, placing his hand on her belly. Amy rested her hand on his and sighed, as she willed herself to forget she ever had a best friend. Who needed friends when she had her husband and unborn child to love and love her back.


	2. Chapter 2

Amy awoke the next morning to an odd sound that seemed to be coming from the living room. She twisted her head to find Sheldon's side of the bed empty.

"Good morning, Monkey," she whispered, while she stroked her belly, as she did every morning. "Let's find out what kind of trouble your daddy's getting into."

She donned her slippers and robe and padded to the living room. Stacks of books lined the floor next to crates and cardboard boxes, and her husband was crouched in front of one of them with a tape gun. "Morning."

He looked up at her with an apologetic look. "Morning. Sorry I left. You looked so peaceful that I didn't want to wake you. I hope you're not up because of this." He waved the tape gun.

"It's okay. I got enough sleep."

"How are you feeling?"

"Much better. What's going on?" She asked, taking a step closer to the organized chaos.

He looked down at the box filled with books then back up at her. "Isn't it obvious?"

She bent over and picked up a Star Trek novel from one of the stacks, examining its slightly-worn condition. "Are we making a trip to the storage unit today?"

"What? No, I'm planning to read these again."

"Then why box them up?"

He applied a strip of tape to the box then stood and took her hands. "We need to pack before we move."

"Move? What are you talking about?"

"It would be very difficult to avoid Leonard and Penny if we continue to live across the hall from each other. If we move, we have a much lower chance of running into them. I did the math, taking into consideration the number of residents in Pasadena..."

"Sheldon," she interrupted.

"If you're worried about the work situation, I've already come up with a plan. It will be trickier to avoid Leonard there, but we can stagger our lunches and..."

"Sheldon," she interrupted again. "I'm sorry you've gone to all this trouble, but we don't need to move. I overreacted last night, and now I feel foolish. I blame the pregnancy hormones."

"Hormones or not, you were right to be upset. We've put up with their insults for years. It's time we take action."

"I haven't always said the most flattering things about them either, and you've thrown some insults at them too. Let's just call it even."

"Those weren't insults, I was merely giving them constructive criticism."

Amy rolled her eyes. "And your solution to avoiding our friends is to run away?"

"Precisely. Only, as you said, they're no longer our friends."

"That was the hormones talking. I'm going to apologize to Penny."

"Why are you apologizing? They should apologize to us."

"They don't know they have a reason to apologize, but I do. We were wrong to ignore them, and I take full responsibility. I never should have asked you to help me avoid them. Let's go over there and sort this whole thing out, then I'll help you unpack these boxes."

Sheldon crossed his arms over his chest. "You may be able to forgive and forget, but I'm not."

"Sheldon, they're our best friends. I don't want to stay mad at them." Amy stepped over a pile of books and picked up her abandoned phone that was still lying face down on the coffee table. She clicked on her texts icon and skimmed through the incoming list. "Seven missed messages. Now I really feel bad."

Sheldon placed his hand on hers. "Don't contact her."

"Honestly, Sheldon. I'm sorry I worried you last night, but..."

"Please, just promise you won't speak to the Hofstadters. At least not now."

"Why not?"

"You haven't even had breakfast yet. You're eating for two now; you need your energy."

"And I suppose you've already eaten?"

He gave her a sheepish look. "Sorry I didn't wait for you. I'll make it up by getting yours ready. That will give you a chance to look over what I found online."

Amy took a seat on the couch and peered at the images on his laptop screen as he prepared her breakfast. "House listings? How long have you been awake?"

He consulted his watch. "Two hours and seventeen minutes. I bookmarked the ones we're going to look at this afternoon."

"This is all going a little fast. I thought we agreed to wait until our little one is a year old so we can save more money for a down payment."

"We were, but after seeing these, I'm excited at the prospect of owning a house." Sheldon topped a bowl of cereal with fresh fruit and carried it to the couch.

"Buying a house is a huge decision. Not only do we need to be financially stable, we also need to do extensive research."

"That's what I've been doing." He angled the laptop toward him and tapped a few keys. "This one is near that Mexican restaurant you like, and it's still close to work."

"Sheldon..."

"...and it has three bedrooms." He rested his hand over her belly. "Baby Cooper #1 can have his or her very own nursery then move into the extra room when future baby #2 comes along. There's also a den where I can set up my whiteboards, a modern kitchen, we will finally be free of having to share laundry machines, and best of all it has a library with a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf."

"Sheldon," Amy rested her hand on his. "I'm sure there will be other houses that will be just as great when we're ready to buy."

"How many will have a library? Amy, look at it and tell me it's not like the one you've always dreamed of. It even has a bay window complete with a reading nook."

She gazed at the photos while she chewed her cereal. It really was beautiful. She could already picture them sitting side by side, her reading The Canterbury Tales while he had one of his beloved Star Trek novels. She clicked through the photos of the other rooms of the spacious the house then looked around their tiny apartment. It was fine for just the two of them, but they would really have to cram a bassinet in the bedroom, not to mention needing room for a stroller and all the other baby necessities. In a house, they wouldn't be tripping over clutter or each other.

He turned toward her and tried to gauge her reaction. "So? What do you think?"

"It's very nice, but how can we afford it right now?"

"We have enough money set aside for a down payment. Those extra 17 months were just to give ourselves a bigger financial cushion, but we can do it. We'll cut back on takeout food and forgo cable and satellite, maybe even put our Netflix account on hold temporarily. Plus I have that stash of money in the snake can and..."

"Don't forget I'll be on maternity leave, so we'll have a smaller income for a few weeks."

"We already took that into account when we went over our finances last month.."

She looked him straight in the eye. "Are you wanting to do this just to get away from Leonard and Penny?"

"That's part of it, but I really do think this is the best decision for us, for our family. In a way, it was a blessing in disguise, as my mother would say. Amy, promise you'll at least look at it in person before you say no."

Amy studied his body language. He didn't exhibit any nervous tics and looked back at her steadily. He was being truthful. She bit her lip. "Okay."

"Thank you." He leaned over and pressed his lips to hers, as Amy wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed.


	3. Chapter 3

Amy pulled into her parking spot at 2311 North Los Robles and stared up at the building she had called home for the last two years. She had a huge decision to make.

She and Sheldon had just come from looking at the house with the library. She had agreed to go because he had been so insistent and because she was almost positive he would find something wrong, and that would be the end of it. His continued excitement was unexpected.

She saw his eyes light up upon entering each room, and he already had plans for each one of them. She could see him mentally calculating where every action figure would go in the den. He had even gone so far as to measure the distance between doorways and windows to optimize their furniture placement.

Sheldon interrupted her thoughts. "You've hardly said anything since we got in the car and were pretty quiet at the house. Are you feeling okay? Is the baby okay?"

"We're both fine. Sorry, I'm just thinking."

"What's there to think about? The house is perfect, and all the appliances are included."

She turned to face him. "I admit it's beautiful and spacious, and the library is amazing, but..."

"But what?"

She licked her lips and twisted her wedding ring. "Are we really ready for this? Owning a house is a huge responsibility. Right now, if something breaks, the landlord fixes it. We don't have to worry about yardwork..."

"That's what repairmen and lawn services are for, or we can mow our own lawn." He took her hands. "With a yard, our children will have somewhere to play. We can put in a sandbox and a swing set."

"All that does sound nice."

"Plus you won't have to waddle up three flights of stairs."

"I'm not waddling now," she huffed.

"But you will be in another couple of months. We can avoid that if we move."

"This is all happening so fast. I need some time to think."

Sheldon frowned. "You better think fast because the realtor said she had other interested buyers."

"Of course she said that; she wants to make a sale. That house has sat empty for two months. I doubt someone will suddenly make an offer." Amy sighed and stared at the apartment complex again.

Sheldon's eyes followed hers. "Why are you fighting this? A house is an investment, while an apartment gives us nothing in return."

"I know, but the apartment is our first home together. We have so many memories here. It's where we eat breakfast together and kiss each other good morning; where we cuddle on the couch together; and aside from our first time and our honeymoon, it's where we've always made love." Tears sprang to her eyes.

"Come here."

She unbuckled her seatbelt and scooted closer to the console. Sheldon slid over as far as possible then enveloped her in his arms and kissed the top of her head. "We'll still do all those things."

"But it won't be the same," she sniffled.

"It will be better." He ran his hands soothingly up and down her back.

They sat that way for several minutes before Amy pulled away slightly. "I want to look at the house again before we make a decision. I didn't give it a fair chance."

"That's my girl!"

Sheldon wasted no time calling the realtor. After informing him she would be there in five minutes, the couple clicked their seatbelts and made the trek back.

Amy paid extra attention to everything they passed in their neighborhood. Normally she drove on autopilot, but today she wanted to soak it all in. If they bought the house, this could be one of the last times they drove this route. When they came to the stoplight on Colorado Boulevard, Amy gazed at the Los Robles street sign. Tears pricked her eyes, and she rapidly blinked them away. They would only be moving 2 miles away, not halfway across the country. She squared her shoulders and turned when the light changed to green.

The realtor was waiting by the front door. Amy took a deep breath and stepped onto the curb. Sheldon joined her, entwining his fingers with hers.

"Welcome back, Dr. And Dr. Cooper," she greeted, extending her hand to them for the second time that day. "Is there any area of the house in particular you'd like to view again?"

"All of it," they replied in unison.

"That is, unless you have somewhere else you need to be," Amy added.

"Take all the time you need."

"I'd like to start with the garage," Sheldon announced.

Amy's eyebrows shot up. "The garage? Why? You don't use power tools."

He just squeezed her hand in reply, as they followed the woman. She clicked a button on a keyring, and a large automatic door slowly rolled up to reveal a cavernous space with empty cupboards lining the walls waiting to be filled again.

Sheldon dropped his wife's hand and explored the space visually then extracted the tape measure from his messenger bag. "Amy, can you hold the other end?"

The realtor offered them a sheet of paper. "I have the measurements right here."

Sheldon accepted the paper, read the numbers, and closed his eyes briefly to commit them to memory. "Thank you. I would still like to do a few measurements of my own."

They ran the tape from top to bottom, side to side, along the space between the bottom of the cupboards and the floor.

Fifteen minutes later, Sheldon nodded in satisfaction. "There's sufficient storage space, capacity for the car, a lawn mower, and various gardening tools, with enough room left over for a train set, like the one I grew up with."

They did a quick walkthrough of the yard before going inside. This time Amy paid closer attention to the amenities. She stood behind the kitchen island. Unlike the one in their apartment, this one had more counter space because the stove was situated along the wall. Her eyes roamed the area, eventually resting on one particular appliance. "A dishwasher!"

"State of the art, super quiet at only 39 decibels. The owners installed it nine months ago."

"We do all our dishes by hand now," Amy admitted. She admired the flat-top stove then peeked inside the fridge and calculated its volume.

The realtor stood next to her and pointed out the features. "This stainless steel fridge is 29.7 cubic feet with ample freezer capacity, small compartments with sliding lids to store your smaller items like cheese and deli meats, and of course the ice maker."

"It's very nice," Amy agreed.

They toured the remainder of the rooms. When they got to the library, Amy sat in the window seat and admired the yard and the mountains beyond. "The view is breathtaking."

Sheldon took a moment to watch her before heading for the rolling ladder. He grasped the railings firmly and tugged. "Seems sturdy."

Amy reluctantly left her cozy nook to see it for herself. "Yes. This should hold our weight no problem." She set her foot on the first rung.

"Amy, no!"

She twisted her head to find fear in her husband's eyes. "What's wrong? You just said it was sturdy."

"Yes, but you're carrying our child. What if you slipped?"

She set her foot back on the ground. "Sorry, I wasn't thinking." She stroked her belly and whispered an apology to the baby as well.

"Congratulations!" The realtor whooped. "How far along are you, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Four months," Amy beamed.

"This is the perfect time to think about moving."

"I suppose so," Amy replied, somewhat unconvincingly.

"I want to look at the bedrooms again," Sheldon announced. "I thought the one on the right would be ideal for a nursery."

The couple followed the realtor into the hall. Amy peered inside the room in question. She hadn't paid much attention the first time and honestly couldn't remember what was special about it.

Sheldon tugged her inside and excitedly pointed out potential possibilities. "We can easily fit a crib over there," he indicated with a wave of his hand. "That would maximize the space to add a change table and a rocking chair there and there, and it already comes with shelves. The train I gave you will fit perfectly."

"Or stuffed animals or books," Amy suggested.

"Plus we can decorate the walls to provide a stimulating environment; we can't do that in the apartment."

Amy bit her lip. The house had everything they could ever need. Should they just take the plunge?

"What do you think?" The realtor asked, bringing her out of her trance.

"Could my husband and I have a few minutes alone to talk things over?"

"Of course. I'll be waiting in the kitchen."

Amy waited until the other woman's footsteps retreated down the hall. "I am more excited by the idea, but I'm still a little apprehensive."

"Why?"

"For all the reasons I told you before."

Sheldon held her hands and faced her. "Amy, our finances are stable, we don't have room for three of us in the apartment, and we'd still be close to work. If we need help with the yardwork, I'm sure we can find a neighbor kid to help, at a small cost."

Amy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay. Let's do it."

 **A/N: Thank you all so much for the favorites, follows, and reviews. Unfortunately, I'm unable to respond to guest reviews directly but just wanted to thank the person who suggested a cute addition for this story. I added your idea to my "to write" list and will probably make it a separate story, as** **I'm planning on only one to two more chapters for this story. Again, thank you to everyone who is enjoying it.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Last chapter! Thank you to everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed.**

Amy grasped a corner of the bedsheet and tugged it free, as Sheldon did the same from the opposite corner before tossing it into the hamper with the pillowcases. She ran her hand lovingly along the bare mattress.

"Goodbye bed. Thank you for one last great memory," she murmured, blinking back tears. This time it wasn't just the hormones talking. She was having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that only an hour earlier, they had made love for the last time in this bed, in this room, in this building.

Sheldon joined her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and kissed her temple. "We'll make new memories with my old bed."

"You're right," she sighed, giving the bed one last pat. "It will be nice to get it out of storage and show it some action."

"Agreed. I could barely squeeze through the door when we dropped off that broken blender last month. It's like a maze in there."

Sheldon took one last room around the bedroom before picking up the hamper and heading for the living room, where he set it next to the boxes. "The movers will be here in 12 minutes. That gives me just enough time to get one last item ready."

Amy spun around the room and frowned. "Everything is packed and organized, and we're not taking the furniture."

"Not this furniture," he corrected.

"What do you mean 'not _this_ furniture'?"

Sheldon rolled the borrowed dolly they had been using to move boxes out of the bedroom to the door. "I'm reclaiming my spot."

With that, he marched across the hall with Amy trailing behind, muttering what a bad idea this was. The Coopers and the Hofstadters hadn't spoken in days, and now here was Sheldon coming to take away their couch?

He performed his signature triple knock punctuated by their names and waited. A minute passed, and not a sound came from within, so he knocked harder and called louder. "Leonard and Penny, Leonard and Penny, Leonard and Penny!"

Moments later a bleary-eyed, bathrobe-clad Penny slid the chain lock and swung the door open. "You've been avoiding us for over a week then suddenly appear at our door before 9 a.m. on a Saturday? You know the rule, no knocking before 11 a.m., so you'd better have a good explanation."

"We're here for the couch," Sheldon informed her, as he skirted past with the dolly.

Penny spun around, hands on her hips. "What the hell, Sheldon?"

"Maybe you didn't hear me the first time. We're here for the couch."

"Leonard!" She bellowed.

"I'm sorry, Bestie. He was out the door before I could talk him out of it," Amy apologized from just inside the open doorway. "Come on, Sheldon. Let's go."

The faint sound of the toilet flushing then water running gave away the other tenant's location. Leonard emerged wide eyed at the sight of his friend wedging the base of the metal contraption on wheels under the couch. "What's going on?"

"Your weird friend thinks he can just barge in here and take our couch."

"I was just letting you borrow it. Now that we will no longer be neighbors, I need to claim my spot."

"No longer be neighbors? What are you..."

The sound of heavy boots stomping up the stairs interrupted the blonde's question and drew the quartet's attention to the hall. Two men in matching blue polo shirts, worn jeans, and baseball caps emerged onto the landing then peered into the apartment.

"Don't strain yourself. We've got it," the shorter one informed the lanky physicist, grasping the dolly's handle when he stepped aside.

The other man scanned the room. "We assumed everything would be boxed up. We don't provide packing services."

"Sorry for the confusion. This isn't our place; we live across the hall." The men furrowed their brows. "My husband used to live here and is particular about his spot on this couch."

The taller man scratched his beard. "O...kay."

"I am so confused right now. What's going on, you guys?" Penny inquired.

"Isn't it obvious?" When the other couple stared at him blankly, Sheldon sighed and added, "We're moving."

"You're moving and didn't bother to tell us?" Leonard sputtered.

"We're moving because of you."

"Sheldon, you've said some questionable things over the years, but really?"

"I don't know why you're so surprised. We've been avoiding you since last Friday."

"That's another thing we don't understand. Why didn't you show up for game night or reply to our messages?" Penny demanded.

Sheldon glared at her. "Because you made Amy cry."

"How the hell did I do that?"

"This is all just a big understanding," Amy mumbled.

The movers' eyes volleyed between the couples. "Um, so we're on a tight schedule. Are we moving this couch or not?"

"We need to sort out our problems first. Why don't you start with the boxes across the hall?" Amy instructed. "The door is unlocked." When the men slipped out, she closed the door behind them and faced her friends.

Penny addressed the brunette. "Okay, spill."

Amy bit her lip and tugged at the hem of her cardigan. "It's silly really. I overreacted. Pregnancy hormones."

"Overreacted to what? Ames, I'm your best friend. You can tell me anything." Penny took a seat on the couch and patted the spot next to her, while Leonard chose to stand behind his wife, hands on her shoulders.

Amy cautiously perched on the edge of the middle cushion and looked down at the hands folded in her lap. "We, um, we... Why is this so hard?"

Sheldon plunked himself next to her, covering her hands with his own. "It's okay; I've got this." He took his eyes off his wife and glared at the couple. "We heard you last Friday."

Penny glared back. "Sheldon, just spit it out. What exactly did you hear?"

"You ridiculed our clothing choices. Amy was so distraught that she refused to see or even speak with you. She cried herself to sleep that night."

The Hofstadters shared a glance then looked back at the couple. "Oh, Ames, I'm sorry. There's no excuse for what we did."

"Honestly, it's not a big deal. My hormones got the best of me, and I overreacted."

"I still shouldn't have said those things."

"No, Penny, you were right. I do dress like a grandma. I know I don't have the fashion sense you do, but the truth is, I feel comfortable in these." She showcased her ensemble with a wave of her hand.

"And I know I'm not the sharpest dresser, but I feel comfortable in mine too," Sheldon inserted."

Leonard rested a hand on each of their shoulders. "Guys, we're very sorry."

"Apology accepted."

Sheldon folded his arms across his chest. "Amy may be quick to forgive, but not me."

"Buddy, what can we do to make it up to you?"

"For starters, you can let us take the couch."

"Fine, we'll do a swap," Leonard agreed.

"And you may want to start planning where to place your old furniture or consider renting a storage unit. Personally, I would choose the latter. You don't have a lot of space in here."

"We're fine with you using it," Penny offered.

"But would you be fine with us moving it across town and never seeing it again?"

"You mean this isn't just a ploy? Those guys really are moving men?"

Amy nodded. "It's true. We're moving to a house on Oakdale."

Penny furrowed her brow. "Let me see if I got this straight. You overheard us talking about you, and a week later you're moving to get away from us?"

"Precisely. Now if you'll excuse us, we should check on those movers." Sheldon stood and held his hand out to his wife.

Leonard lifted his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Hold on. You're seriously moving to get away from us?"

"That was Sheldon's original plan. I tried to talk him out of it after ensuring him I was fine and didn't want to continue avoiding you. Then we looked at a house that was perfect for us and decided to move before the baby is born."

"Yeah, I get that, but isn't this happening a little quickly? You guys plan everything. What happened to waiting 18 months?" Penny asked.

"Seventeen," Sheldon corrected her.

"Whatever. The point is, it's not like you to make decisions on the fly. The Sheldon Cooper I know takes his time weighing the pros and cons. It took you longer to choose a gaming system than a house!" Penny pointed out.

"That's not exactly true." Three pairs of eyes bore into his.

Now it was Amy's turn to be confused. "Sheldon, what are you saying?"

Sheldon tugged at his collar. "Last Saturday wasn't the first time I had researched that house or a number of others."

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked, sounding hurt.

He shrugged. "There was nothing to tell. I found it while analysing the housing market trend. The square footage and price matched what we were looking for, so I did some further investigations."

Amy looked down at her lap. "So it wasn't a rash decision?"

"The plan was still to wait until Baby Cooper was a year old. What happened last week just fueled my fire and made me take action." He lifted her chin. "Are you mad at me?"

"I'm not happy that we didn't discuss it, but I feel a little better knowing we didn't rush into it."

"Good." Sheldon leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

"Alright, you two. Get a room," Penny joked.

Sheldon rolled his eyes. "We really should go so I can supervise those men. Lord knows what they're doing."

Leonard walked them to the door. "Are we good now, or will you remove your digital footprint from the internet so we can't find you?"

"I wouldn't object to your coming over to visit."

Amy elbowed her husband gently. "What Sheldon meant to say was we would love to have you over."

"I'll miss you guys," Penny sniffled, as she enveloped the couple in a bear hug.

"I'll miss you too," Amy sobbed.

When they were out of her grasp, Leonard extended his hand to Amy then his best friend. "I'm going to miss you too."

Sheldon took the proferred hand and shook on it. "We had a good run, you and I."

"We'll still see each other, Buddy. Just because we'll no longer be neighbors doesn't mean we can't still hang out."

"You're making me cry again, but in a good way." Amy blinked away her tears, offered her friends a watery smile, then gave them a brief hug. "This is just goodbye for today, not forever," she promised as they exited the apartment, not for the last time.


End file.
